Why is Donald Trump neck and neck with Kamala Harris in the race for the US presidency? To understand this, you need to understand the power structures of the United States. It would be foolish and arrogant to assume that Trump supporters are uneducated or right-wing extremists who should be dismissed. US voters measure Trump by his actions in his first term, not by his words in his third presidential campaign.
Two key points speak in his favor: Under his presidency, the economy thrived and there were no wars. Many Americans believe in growth and job creation with his "America First" policy, along with sanctions against China and Europe. Trump also scores with young people through his stance on cryptocurrencies and a bull market on US exchanges is expected if he wins.
In 2016, Trump received support from Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook. Now, the influential Elon Musk, owner of the X platform, formerly Twitter, is entering the arena.
The "X-factor" serves as a significant boost for Trump's campaign, while Musk can anticipate government orders to favor his companies and a role in office in return. Even liberal Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is taking a stand for Trump, as his influential Washington Post refrains from endorsing Harris and has lost 250,000 subscribers.
In reality, US voters tend to be conservative and nationalistic, which complicates the prospect of electing the first woman as president. This is why the swing states are likely to propel Trump to victory.
Such an outcome would not be the end of democracy either.
